Rangers roll to victory behind 12 unanswered runs

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers kicked off the second half of the season with an emphatic comeback victory at Globe Life Field, as they overcame an early four-run deficit to defeat the Guardians, 12-4, on Friday night.

Texas’ hitters were the heroes of the night, as the offense collected 17 hits and scored 12 runs to fuel the team to victory. More specifically, it was a big night at the plate for the Rangers’ heart of the order -- Corey Seager, Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis García, Josh Jung and Jonah Heim. The talented quintet combined for 13 hits, three home runs and 10 RBIs.

“It was a great game … great comeback,” Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy said. “We were down four and they battled back really well. Their starter did a nice job, but we just kept chipping away.

“It was a big day by the heart of our order. They all did such a great job and did a nice job of hitting with runners in scoring position. So it was a good game. Nice way to start the second half … with a comeback [victory].”

The Rangers' first run came in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Nathaniel Lowe cranked a solo home run to right-center field to trim the Guardians’ lead to three. Lowe’s home run blast wasn’t a cheap one, either, as it jumped off the bat at 101.5 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 415 feet before becoming a souvenir in the right-field seats.

It was the second of four hits on the night for Lowe, who went 4-for-4 with a walk.

“It’s great to see [Lowe] have this type of game,” Bochy said. “He used the whole field. He hit it away and pulled the ball for base hits. He looked good out there, didn’t he? He’s a really good hitter.

“Last year, he won the Silver Slugger. … He just has a gift for hitting the baseball, so it’s good to see him start the second half like this.”

Trailing by just one run to begin the bottom of the seventh inning, the Rangers lineup exploded for five runs in the frame.

Seager got the rally started with a game-tying double that was just out of the reach of center fielder Myles Straw to score Marcus Semien, who walked to lead off the inning.

Lowe and García followed that up with back-to-back singles, with García's scoring Seager to give the Rangers their first lead. Two batters later, Heim launched a double into the alley in left-center field to score Lowe and García, giving Texas a 7-4 lead.

From that point on, the Rangers kept their foot on the gas as they began to pull away from Cleveland.

“I mean, it’s a good lineup, as witnessed,” Guardians skipper Terry Francona said. “If you make some mistakes, they can really make you pay. And that’s what happened late. … Once they got it going, it was hard for us to stop it.”

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the team had yet another offensive outburst, as the Rangers hammered three home runs and scored four runs in the frame.

Fresh off their All-Star trip to Seattle, Seager, Heim and García proved exactly why they are amongst the game’s elite as they each belted a home run in the eighth inning to fuel the Rangers’ lopsided victory.

The Rangers’ 12 runs marks the 20th time this season they have scored 10 or more runs in a game, the most of any team in the Majors.

“I think everybody got some well-deserved rest and we came out on a strong note,” Heim said. “The offense is firing on all cylinders, and that’s all you can ask for.”